and furnishes abundant food as a pasture at that season; yet, it has fuch an irresistible propenfity to run to feed, that it becomes, in a fhort time, difliked by all animals; and is, at every other feafon of the year, of little value as a pasture-grafs. Soft grafs, upon damp foils, is ftill more early than rye-grafs; and forms a much more valuable pafture-grafs in every respect. All the tribe of Poa graffes have their leaves entirely killed by a very flight degree of winter-cold--but they begin to vegetate pretty early in the fpring. But the earlieft vegetable that I know, is the myrrh-plant t, (wild cicely or COWweed), which rushes up in the month of March with amazing rapidity; and may be cut twice at least, if not thrice, before redclover could be cut once. Cows, and other cattle, eat it very greedily, after they have been * Holcus lanatus. † Chaerophyllum fylveftre. been a little accustomed to it; although they do not always take it at firft very readily. It deferves to be remarked, however, that this plant feems to be chiefly valuable in the spring, as it seems to advance more quickly then, and during the first part of fummer, than towards the end of it.-About autumn its vegetative powers feem to be much abated. In a few years, I fhall be more able to speak with certainty of the qualities and best methods of cultivating this and fome other plants; as it requires fome time to bring experiments relating to them to a proper period. And the epilobium, or common willowherb, may be employed for the fame purpose, about the same early period. * Burnet retains its verdure pretty well during the winter-months; but affords fuch scanty * Pimpinella fylveftris. fcanty crops, as hardly to be worth the at tention of the farmer. All these graffes fpring up early, and may be employed with moft advantage as winter or fpring-fodder. There are, however, others that do not make their appearance till late in the feafon, but, on fome accounts, may be deemed very valuable. Of this clafs is the common milk-wort *, and all the clafs of perennial peafe and vetches; which feldom appear above ground till the month of May; but continue to yield a great burden of valuable grass during the remaining part of the season, till the winter frofts stop them. If these, therefore, were fowed along with fuch plants as either stand the winter, or advance early in the fpring, the farmer would have it in his power to reap the benefit of his early pafture for his cattle or sheep, without damaging his crop for the remain ing Aftragalus glycyphyllos ing part of the season; as these would only begin to advance after the others were wholly confumed. And, as most of these plants are equally proper for being cut and made into hay, or for being pastured upon, it puts it in the farmer's power to employ them in either of these two ways that may best suit his conveniency. I have not as yet been able to discover any plant that could be cultivated by the farmer which advances only during the winterfeason. But, as we as yet know little or nothing with regard to this article, it is to be hoped that future enquirers will make many valuable discoveries relating to it. 1 VII. Some plants fpring up quickly, and foon arrive at perfection, while others advance more flowly, and are long of attaining ma turity : turity: Some perish in a fhort time, and others, when once well established, remain almost for ever without decay. It would therefore be neceflary for the farmer, who wished to improve his ground to the utmost, to be acquainted with the natural period of existence, if I may use that phrase, of every plant that it might be in his power to cultivate. Required-A lift of plants confidered in this point of view? Naturalifts have already eftablifhed a few diftinctions among plants in this respect ;but these are by no means fo far extended as the farmer would require. For almost all that they have done, is to reduce plants to the three general claffes of annuals, biennials, and perennials;-under which laft head are arranged all those plants which en dure |